The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-11
A TEXAN MERCHANT.
How n Poor Connections Boy Came TO
Be Worth His Millions.

HOW q POOr COunoCticut boy N"s""s ~
Be worth His Millions.
There is a great deal of romance con-
nected with the life of Capt Joseph >.
Hendley, who died at Middletown,
Conn. of paralysis. at the age OF ~,
worth, it is said, $2,000,000 He was
born in Mddletown, the youngest OF
six children. His father followed the
sea in winter and was u tanner in sum-
mer, but when the boy was half year
old he was lost from his ship. Young
Hendley was educated at tho Bow
lane district school in the South Farms
parish of Middletown, and began work
ing in wooden mill at 10. Three
years later he walked to New Haven,
and shipped to New York, receiving as
his wages So for the round trip. Soon
after he started for the West Indies.
with S. and two suits of clothes, and
was sailor for many subsequent
years. going to Europe and South
America, but being more particularly
connected with the Florida and New
Orleans trade.
In 1888 he took charge of schooner
and made VOYAGES to the Brazos river,
at a time when there was only a single
house on the island of Galveston. and
Texas, one of the states of the Mexican
republic, was at war with the mother
country. Twice he was chased into
the river by the Mexican man-of-war
Montezuma. commanded by Capt.
Davis, who had secured reputation
which made him terror to the block
ade-runners of that day. In 1885 Capt.
Hendley formed a partnership with his
brother, William Sylvester Gldersleeve.
and William Keuth, for building schoon-
ers for trading on the Brazos river.
The firm was subsequently increased,
and in lS42 they built the ship Star
Republic, which became the pioneer
vessel OF the Texas and New York
packet line. In 1845 the commission
house of William Hendley Il Co., con-
sisting of William and Joseph Hendley,
Mr.. Gldersleeve, and John L. Sleight,
was established at Galveston, and they,
with John II. Brewer, of New York.
began running the Texas packet line,
which came in time to consist of eight
staunch ships. Capt Hendley himself
usually commanded one of them.
During these years the firm built up
great trade in Texas, and any paper
which bore their stamp was at once
honored, no matter how high the dis
count might be on most currency. To
relieve the local monetary stringency
they were in the habit every fall of
taking large amount in notes from the
Middletown State bank, and circulat-
ing them in Texas, with the name of
their firm stamped across the face.
In 1858 Philip Glidersleeve. the cor.
responding and financial partner. died,
and for a time the business suffered.
But it was at length reorganized on a
smaller scale, and was then carried on
successfully till the beginning of the
war. BY that time some of the ships
had been lost or sold, and the line was
discontinued after the government had
bought two of them and the Ala
bama had burned one. The partners
continued living at Galveston till hostIli.
ties ceased and then resumed business
as commission merchants, continuing
till 1874. when William Hendley and j.
l.. Sleight died. During the next year
Capt. Hendley closed up the affairs OF
the firm and retired from business.
He has since spent his summers at
Middletown and h winters in Florida
or Texas. calling the house of half
sister at Plainiield, N j., his home. He
never married. He was a man OF
broad catholic opinions, and gave
literally to benevolent enterprises. The
cause of his death was paralys